Currently, Web media is played almost exclusively on computers and not on TVs. It is known to connect a computer to a TV set in order to watch Web media, however it is difficult to control such a system within the typical scenario for TV watching where the viewer is sitting on a couch or chair some distance from the TV. While a wireless keyboard and mouse can enable the user to control the TV from a distance, it can be very difficult to view a Web browser display on a TV. This scenario also causes the viewer to surf the Web on their family's primary TV, disrupting the family's normal TV program viewing. This issue of disrupting the family's normal TV program viewing was the primary cause of the failure of the “Web TV” product offered by Microsoft in the 1990s.
A solution to these problems was previously put forth in Provisional Application No. 60/901,671, entitled “Remote Control for Video Media Servers” with common inventors and commonly assigned with the present invention. For the purpose of this application, “media server” and “TV server” are synonymous—representing a computer whose video output is connected to a conventional TV set or video display used for viewing TV programming. The invention described in Application No. 60/901,671 enabled a TV server to be remotely controlled from another computer allowing any Web media content to be viewed on the TV, while controlling the TV server easily and from a comfortable distance. It also allowed Web media capture to be performed on the TV server without disturbing family TV viewing. This application did not, however, address the issue of capturing Web media links and consolidating those links into a “playlist” for viewing at a later time, including different methods for using those media links to remotely control a TV server.
Today, Web media is typically located by consumers on a PC using a Web browser and some form of search engine capability. Using a search engine requires typing strings of alphanumeric characters and thus a full keyboard or full keyboard functionality is normally required to successfully locate Web media. Some Web media viewing solutions implement methodologies that require the use of a handheld remote control to locate Web media, and as such are typically not suitable for Web searching since they lack alphanumeric input capability.
Many websites offer media content and are structured such that users will remain within the confines of a specific content website, and through sharing, will encourage others to be brought to that same content website. If these websites offer the ability to construct a playlist, it is done within the confines of media available on the particular site. Other websites offer the ability to construct a playlist or bookmark list where media links and other web URLs may be saved, shared, and utilized for playback—however playback is performed on a PC, not a TV, and never using a TV server which is remotely controlled.
Given the desire to watch any web media on a family's primary TV set, and to control this operation from the comfort of one's couch, there is a need to operate a TV server remotely from a local PC or handheld remote control, and a further need to operate a TV server to view media links previously stored in a playlist. While it is known to operate a TV server from a handheld remote control, as in the case of the Apple TV, media players such as the Apple TV only allow viewing of media which can be located by navigating a predefined hierarchy of information. No provision is offered for allowing the user to perform a general Web search to locate and capture Web media, and then create a playlist incorporating the media links they have located, and then use that playlist to remotely control a TV server.
Within this specification:                A “playlist” is an electronic list of electronic location references or “media links” which point to different forms of electronic media        A “media link” may be a Web URL or alternately the file path and name for media stored on a LAN        A “LAN” refers to the LAN in a home where a TV Server and TV are located        “Media Server” and “TV Server” are synonymous—a computer with a video output connected to a TV set or Video Display that also plays conventional TV programming. The functionality that implements a “Media Server” or “TV Server” may physically reside either externally or internally to a TV set.        A “LAN TV Server” refers to a TV server attached to the LAN in a home        A “local TV server” or “TV server” refers to a TV server that is remotely controlled by either a local PC or handheld remote control, but which may not necessarily communicate with these controlling devices via the LAN.        A “Remote PC” refers to computer at a different physical location than the LAN TV server, i.e., not on the same LAN        A “PC” can be any form of Personal Computer—Laptop, Desktop, Tablet PC, PDA, or Smart-Phone/PDA. For this invention, the PC is physically a different device than the TV server although a TV server may be implemented with what is conventionally known as a “PC”. PCs can implement a “controller device” or a “capture device”. Control and capture can be performed on the same PC or on different PCs. A “local controller refers” to any PC as defined above that is used as a controlling device for a TV Server, and that is at the same physical location as the TV server.        A “playlist function” is an application program running either locally on a PC with a local application window interface, or alternately, on a website and controlled through the Internet by way of a browser interface. A playlist function is capable of storing and managing playlist files or databases.        A “Web playlist function” is an application program running on a website that communicates with PCs and LAN TV servers through the Internet, and is capable of storing and managing playlist files or databases.        